Don't Mistake Her Kindness for Weakness
by Kamira
Summary: When Elizabeth realized that she was the only person who recognized the threat that was facing her family and her kingdom she knew that her only option was to go against the warnings of her family and seek out the Legendary Seven Deadly Sins. Now the only thing standing in her way are the walls of her childhood home and the veritable army of Holy Knights that guard it.
1. Chapter 1: Prisoner in her own home

This is a little headcanon, a little fan theory, and a lot cure for my writer's block.

Set just before Elizabeth leaves Liones to seek the Seven Deadly Sins. Inspired by one writer's particularly unflattering characterization of Elizabeth that portrayed her as nothing but a weak constantly crying ditz.

Look, she's not my favorite character out of the bunch either but you gotta give the girl credit. The entire plot of the series is set in motion by her figuring out that the Holy Knights were up to no good and her taking it on herself to escape and get help. She's not dumb and she's not weak.

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Chapter 1: Prisoner in her own home.

Elizabeth's floor length gown swayed in time with her steps as she made her way down the long hall that led to her father's bedchamber. Despite it being midday she knew he would be there. It had been almost a month since his health had begun to decline. She had watched as her strong proud father rapidly deteriorated to the point that he was only able to get out of bed for short periods of time.

The sound of a heavily armored person striding quickly from the direction she was headed had Elizabeth ducking into one of the many unoccupied rooms that lined the corridor. Pressing herself against the wall, she tried not to breath as the metallic steps got closer. Not releasing the breath she was holding until the steps passed by without pausing. She hesitated only a second before she continued down the hall.

She didn't need to see the person to know that it was one of the Holy Knights. While she still felt safe with a few of them, more and more often her interactions with Liones's famous protectors left her weak-kneed and trembling. Of course, none ever harmed or threatened her overtly, but many would grab the hilts of their weapons when they spoke to her. Having grown up in a castle surrounded by knights she recognized the action for what it was, a threat.

Shortly after her father became ill, Grand Master Hendrickson tripled the guard in the castle. He had explained to her and her sisters that it was because news of the ailing king would spread, and threats to the kingdom were mounting. It was all for their safety. She'd accepted the explanation at first, it made sense and Elizabeth had always been taught to trust the Holy Knights. But, as time passed, she found herself systematically barred from doing things that she used to be able to do without any interference. First, she was no longer allowed out into the city, even with a guard accompanying her. Then, she wasn't allowed to go into the courtyard of the castle. Finally, she and her sisters were confined to the west wing of the castle where the royal families living quarters were.

One more turn, and Elizabeth found herself standing outside the impressive double doors of her father's room. Posted on either side, as per usual, were two Holy Knights she didn't recognize. She greeted them cordially and made to move between them but was brought up short by one of the knights voices.

"The King will not be taking any visitors today." the knight to her right said.

"Oh? Why not?" She asked, confused. She'd never been turned away before.

"Under orders of Grand Master Hendrickson," the same knight growled, gripping the hilt of his sword.

A chill ran up her spine and Elizabeth was immediately afraid for her father, "I'm going to see my father" Elizabeth announced with as much regal authority that she possibly could. She moved to rush between them, as her hands reached for the door the blade of a lance sliced the air in front of her stopping just shy of her wrists. Elizabeth jumped back catching her heel on her long gown and tumbling backward.

"Like he said, we can't let you pass, Princess." the Knight in the left sneered, pointing his lance towards her. Elizabeth's eyes went wide and she froze as they both advanced on her, weapons drawn. She curled in on herself squeezing her eyes shut, too afraid of what was going to happen next to do much else. She'd never had anyone direct a weapon at her before. She'd left her room only wanting to visit her father, just like she did every day, and now she was at the mercy of two Holy Knights with the ability to kill her in an instant.

"I think the Princess understands now," a familiar voice announced from behind her. Elizabeth opened her eyes in time to see the guards lowering their weapons slightly as Gilthunder appeared at her side.

"What are you doing here." the knight with the sword sneered.

"I am under orders to return the Princess to her room," Gilthunder's voice and eyes were cold, "Put away your weapons." he ordered the knights and they promptly did so. "You will come with me Princess Elizabeth." he commanded. His demeanor was intimidating but the hand that he offered her was warm and gentle as he helped Elizabeth to her feet. He took her by the elbow and guided her back down the corridor the way she came.

Once they were out of earshot of the guards Elizabeth addressed him. "Thank you Gill" She whispered.

"Don't thank me. I'm under orders." He responded in the same callous tone.

Elizabeth chanced a glance to him, his eyes were hard and face set in a scowl but just as it had been when he helped her up his hand remained gentle on her arm. Even with his intimidating demeanor he still remained one of the only Holy Knight's that she wasn't afraid of. They had been children together he was a kind boy then and a good man now. Whatever was going on, she was sure that she could trust him.

When they reached her door he opened it for her and guided her through. She turned to thank him again, but before she had the chance, he was addressing her in the same commanding way that he had addressed the guards.

"Under orders of The Grand Master Hendrickson the Princesses of Liones have been ordered confined to their chambers...for their own safety."

"What are you talking about Gill? We've already been confined to the castle, then the west wing and now I can't even leave my room?" Elizabeth asked, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

"Yes." he stated matter of factly, "A Holy Knight will be posted at your door to...protect you." He looked away from her. "You should be safe in your room Princess Elizabeth. Please, abide by the Grand Master's wishes." He added slightly more gently before shutting the door.

The sound of the lock clicking shut reverberated through her chest and Elizabeth sank to her knees. Tears began to flow as she realized in a rush that she was now a prisoner in her own home. She was scared. Scared for herself and her family. She didn't even know what was going on. Why was this happening? A wave of hopelessness wash over her and tears continued to flow freely down her cheeks.

She'd never felt so alone.


	2. Chapter 2 : Coup d'état

Chapter 2 : Coup d'état

Elizabeth's room was lit in a myriad of pinks and purples as the light of the setting sun shone through her window. It gave the room a sense of quiet serenity that the third princess of Liones currently lacked as she paced restlessly back and forth across her room. Her dinner sat untouched on the small table in the corner. She hated to be cooped up, always had. Even as a small child, she would slip away from her caretakers and explore the castle at all times of the day or night. As she got older, those escapes extended beyond the castle walls to the city. After having spent the last two days trapped in her room, her meals brought to her by silent servants with downcast eyes, she felt like she was ready to explode.

The cacophonous sound of armor outside her bedroom window halted her pacing. In the courtyard below her window, she saw what must have been over a hundred knights moving towards the open gate. She frowned, realizing what she was witnessing was the same thing that had happened twice a day, every day, of her entire life. The knights assigned to guard the palace were changing shifts. The oncoming shifts must have already arrived because the current flow of knights were all moving away from the palace and out the front gate. The reason that this particular shift change demanded her attention was that there were far more knights than there had ever been before. The sounds of their armor echoed off the walls of the castle, amplifying the sound of metal against metal, clashing, clanging and grinding.

Why were there so many knights at the castle today? Was there an actual imminent threat to the kingdom, the castle, her family? She needed needed to speak with her father. She needed to see her sisters. She needed to get out of this room!

Unthinkingly Elizabeth rushed to her door, giving it a sharp tug, but it didn't budge.

"You're confined to your chamber little girl. That door won't open." The voice of the knight that guarded her room came from the other side of her locked door.

"Oh yes. Of course." Elizabeth answered sweetly. "I must have forgotten." For a split second in her haste, she had forgotten.

"That doesn't surprise me." The knight said, and then added, "You never were the smart one." It was said quietly and she wasn't sure if he had meant for her to hear it.

"Well as that's the case, I guess I will be going to sleep early." She answered back sweetly choosing to ignore the knights comment.

Her one exit blocked, Elizabeth made her way back to her balcony. She peered over the edge to the now empty courtyard. The vertical drop below made her head spin. Her balcony was perched on the wall, high above the courtyard below. Just like every other balcony on this level.

Every. Other. Balcony.

Her eyes snapped to the adjacent room's balcony. The room next to hers had been her adoptive mother's retreat and a playroom for her and her sisters due to it's proximity to their rooms. It had remained empty and untouched since her mother's death. Except for the time Elizabeth had been exploring the servants passageways and accidentally found herself in it.

Elizabeth smiled to herself, that was her way out. The servants passageway to that room was never used, because the room was never used. It wasn't likely to be guarded or even locked. She quietly moved back into her room, arranging her pillows and sheets to resemble her sleeping form on the bed. She wasn't sure if the holy knights ever checked during the night to make sure she was sleeping. The idea of it made her skin crawl, but this ruse had fooled many servants and nannies over the years and she was sure it would work on a lunkhead that was too dumb to keep his voice down.

Back on the balcony, she eyed her goal. It wasn't a huge gap, only 5 or 6 feet, but it was 5 or 6 feet over a fatal drop. Not allowing enough time to second guess herself, she climbed up onto the railing. Purposely didn't look down and with a deep breath that she hoped wasn't her last, she jumped.

For a second, Elizabeth was suspended in the air before gravity took hold and she slammed into the railing of the balcony hooking her arms over the top. Her feet dangled over the precipice for a moment before she managed to get a foothold and propelled herself over the rail, landing hard.

Elizabeth thanked the goddesses for her life as she took a moment to catch her breath and allow her rapidly beating heart to slow. When she'd calmed, she tried the handle of the door. It opened without resistance. Stepping into her dead mother private space felt a lot more like intruding than it had as a child. There was a heavy stillness that filled the room. The furniture and paintings on the wall were all covered with sheets to keep the dust off and preserve them until some untold date when the room would be allowed to come back to life.

Elizabeth vaguely remembered playing in here as a very small child. Her mother told her that even though she hadn't given birth to her, she would always love her as her own. The truth of Elizabeth's birth had never been kept from her. She couldn't even remember the first time she had learned that she'd been adopted, she'd always just known. Even so, she had never felt anything less than loved by her family, that had taken her in as an infant.

But now, something was going on and if there was anything that she could do to protect them she would do it.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she hastily moved through the room to servants door in the corner. It was disguised by the pattern of the gilded floral wallpaper and she was glad she remembered where it was. In the fading evening light, it would have been hard to find had she not known where to look. She turned the small knob and pulled. The door didn't move and for a moment she was worried that it had been locked, but with a little more force it creaked open. The noise of the door seemed to thunder through the previously silent room. She froze, convinced that she was going to hear the sound of armor headed her way from the hallway. When none came, she released the breath she was holding and stepped into the passageway.

It was dark and the air smelled stale and musty from being sealed up for so long. That confirmed that it hadn't been used. Feeling her way through the pitch black it only took a few steps to reach the lip of the top step. The stairs spiraled downwards under her cautious feet. She stumbled, more than a few times, saved only by her hands firmly pressed against the cold stone of the walls.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she saw a sliver of light and heard muffled voices as she approached the door at the base of the stairs. It was only now that she realized that she couldn't remember where this door led to. Her memory from childhood was of coming up the stairs and into the room, not how she got the stairwell in the first place. But, she could handle this, she reassured herself. She knew her childhood home. All she had to do was see a little bit through the crack along the edge of the door and she would know exactly where she was.

The voices were becoming more distinct now. She was thrilled to realize that among them was her father's voice. Elizabeth rushed to the door and was about to throw it open when a cold shout of "SILENCE" brought her up short. Who was possibly addressing her father in such a way?

Peeking through the crack of the door as she originally intended brought a view that had her stomach churning. Her father in chains and surrounded by people she recognized as Holy Knights.

"If you cooperate and do not cause a commotion, we will maintain the safety of your daughters. So come my good King." the voice sneered, "You are much too weak to prepare this kingdom for what is to come, it would better if you rested in your chambers, indefinitely." She recognized the voice, but couldn't place whose it was. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see the speaker from her limited perspective.

But her father in chains, his shoulders slumped in defeat, that she could see perfectly. That is until tears clouded her vision. He moved forward, following the speaker and the contingent of Holy Knights that surrounded him moved along with him. A sob threatened to escape Elizabeth's throat and she clamped her hands over her mouth to muffle it, moving away from the door. She collapsed on the bottom step as she began to cry silently.

She knew it! She knew something was wrong! That something was going on!

The steady increase in guards. The restriction of her and her family's movements and liberties. The guards to her father's room threatening her with their weapons. Her father in chains. The people, the Holy Knights, sworn to protect the kingdom and her family had betrayed them. She had grown up with many of them. They had been childhood friends and playmates. She had trusted them.

The only people she had ever thought of as heroes weren't heroes at all. The silent tears flowed freely down her face. She had wanted to help, wanted to do something, but there wasn't anything she could do now. She couldn't fight like Victoria and even if she could she couldn't defeat an entire army on her own. No one could stand up to the Holy Knights.

Except.

That wasn't quite true, she realized with a jolt.

Her tears paused and she focussed on the sliver of light that slipped through from the hall like it was a beacon.

There WAS a group that was powerful enough to stand up to the Holy Knights. In fact, they had decimated the ranks when they had escaped 10 years ago. The Holy Knights had been attempting to capture them since then. They weren't allies.

But what if they were dangerous? Maybe they were more dangerous than the Holy Knights. She immediately dismissed the thought, her father had told her stories of their bravery and heroism. Like a dream that you can only recall the essence of upon waking, something deep within her told her that they were good people. She knew that if she could find them they would help her.

Her tears had completely stopped, and she scrubbed at the lingering dampness on her cheeks. She didn't have time to cry. She had to find the Seven Deadly Sins.


End file.
